Only around one in four students feel like their at school, college or university have supported them well through the coronavirus crisis, an eye-opening survey reveals.

Exactly 1,138 Snapchatters in the UK, aged between 13 and 24, revealed the worrying extent of their true feelings surrounding the pandemic in an exclusive survey for Metro.co.uk.

Further results from the questionnaire – which ran on Snapchat between December 20 and January 12 – show a real sense of concern and pessimism from those in Generation Z about their lives and future prospects.

Chloe Cain, a final year undergraduate at Exeter University, told Metro.co.uk there ‘has never been a more stressful time to be a student’.

‘We are expected to be “used” to a pandemic and be able to perform as we have done prior when there was no disruptions,’ said the law student.

‘I’m in my third year now and half of my degree has been impacted by Covid-19 and strikes.’

Just under three in four (73%) of the young people surveyed said they feel significantly, or at least slightly, more stressed every single day compared to this time last year.

‘I’m feeling far more anxious this year’

Nina Porter, who is studying for her social sciences finals at University College London, raised the issue of mental health being a key concern among students at the moment.

‘I feel like I am far more anxious this year and over the course of the lockdown period than I was previously,’ the 21-year-old explained.

‘Studying online has been really disorientating, not been a sense of routine and normal life.

‘Trying to get through that without peer support and teacher support has been quite difficult.’

‘It’s harder than ever’

Kira Lewis, 20, added they have found the situation ‘incredibly stressful’.

‘I am worried about not being able to find a job and pay my rent after I finish,’ said the King’s College London student.

‘Finding a job in a crowded market is hard enough, but when so many well-qualified people are unemployed and looking too, and many companies have cancelled their graduate opportunities, it’s harder than ever.

‘I was supposed to be on a placement year job this year, but I lost that because of coronavirus, so having to look at graduating a year earlier than I’d hoped, without that experience, is making me extremely stressed.’

In addition to the stress, almost half (48%) of pupils and students are concerned their job opportunities will decrease due to the pandemic.

‘There’s mainly a worry that the students who graduate having been impacted by Covid-19, that their degrees will not be worth the same as a student who graduated years prior with less disruptions,’ said Chloe, who is 20.

‘There is no job security’

She added though it is not just about the grades: ‘There are fewer chances for key employer events on campus, which help build connections and a career.’

Some students have even decided to continue their education, for fear of having to enter a crowded job market.

‘In normal circumstances, my thoughts were to graduate and get some experience,’ Nina, who hopes to perhaps work in the civil service in the future, said, ‘But since the pandemic my thoughts have completely changed, I’m now applying for an Master’s degree because there is no job security.

‘I’m very anxious if I didn’t apply for a Master’s, I’d have to go into the graduate job market in May and that really scares me. I don’t want to be jobless for a year.’

The pupils and students surveyed broadly feel under-supported, and like they have not been given enough information through the pandemic – from both their educational establishments and the Government.

Only 23% think their school, college or university has supported them well during the crisis, and only a quarter believe they were given enough information and support to travel home safely for the Christmas holidays.

‘Our whole year has been interrupted’

Kira highlighted how low-income students have been hit hardest by the pandemic, as they have struggled to access bursaries – though some universities have provided hardship funds.

‘Our whole year has been interrupted and I can’t access the books I need for my dissertation,’ they explained.

‘I also can’t afford to buy them all, so I know my dissertation will not be as good as it could have been.

‘The university says the quality of education is the same, but while our lecturers are trying their hardest, they aren’t being supported well enough and it’s impacting us.’

They added money has been a big issue for them through the crisis, as their job at the moment is a zero hours contract and they have some debt after losing a job last summer.

‘The Government has given us no help,’ Kira said.

‘When I had to isolate as I had coronavirus, I applied to the low income support grant as I would lose money due to being on a zero hours’ contract.

‘I was refused as I don’t receive Universal Credit – which students are specifically exempt from receiving. Oversights like this are leading to students turning to short term loans and more debt.’

Chloe is also unhappy that she, alongside many other thousands of students across the country, are still having to pay the same amount of tuition fees despite having ‘far less access to resources’, such as well-being support.

‘And there’s been absolutely no support from the Government in all this, unless students are a scapegoat for infections rising then they don’t want to know us,’ she added.

Universities UK, which represents 140 universities across the country, has previously said students should ‘seek redress where they have particular concerns about their experience of their course’, as the Government has so far announced no blanket tuition fee refunds.

It has been reported a small number of people have been successful in claiming financial compensation under individual circumstances.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: ‘We recognise that this is a challenging time for children and young people and that many need additional support.

‘We are focusing our catch-up efforts and remote education support on those who need it most, providing 1.3 million laptops and tablets, partnering with mobile companies for free data, ensuring provision of free school meals and providing £1 billion to early years, schools and colleges for tutoring through the Covid Catch Up Fund, as well as an additional £300 million announced for tutoring last week.

‘We are also supporting our university students by providing an additional £50 million for those struggling financially as a result of the pandemic – bringing the total to £70 million this financial year.

‘This is on top of £256 million of Government-funded student premium which universities can use for student support this academic year.’

Ed Couchman from Snap Inc, which ran the student survey, noted how the last year has been ‘a challenging time for young people’, particularly in regard to their mental health.

‘Around 90% of all 13- to 24-year-olds in the UK use Snapchat regularly and we wanted to do something to help,’ said the regional general manager, who is the lead for Snapchat in the UK.

‘So last year we got to work partnering with specialists like mindfulness experts Headspace, and organisations including Young Minds and the Diana Award, to create new tools and features to do what we can to support young people through Covid-19 – like our “Here for You” feature, which directs Snapchatters to UK experts when they search for topics including stress and anxiety.’

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